Laundry apparatus



March 20, 1945. c, 4, LU'ND ST I 2,371,334

LAUNDRY APPARATUS Filed Aug.- 6, 1941 mvsi lrog I m W fl ATToRNm'S.

Patented Mar. 20, 1945 UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE LAUNDRY APPARATUS Carl J Lundquist, Davenport, Iowa Application August 6, 1941, Serial No. 405,655

40mins. (o1. ,6s--,2s)

My invention relates to a convenient form of laundry apparatus comprising a, board which is readily mountable upon the rim of a toilet bowl, together with a clamp adapted to hold a piece of "clothing, such as a diaper, a pair of panties,

or other garment upon the upper face of'the board 'in convenient position for washing, in

combination with a fountain brush, and means for conveniently holding the clamp in openposition and for conveniently applying the clamp to the garment and upper end of the board so as to hold the garment in position for washing;

The objects of my invention are to provide a simple, inexpensive and convenient apparatus for laundering the soiled garments of infants, and similar purposes, which will obviate the need of soiling ones hands. Other objects will appear. from the description. v I 1 I attain these objects by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a plan view of my, apparatus mounted upon an ordinary sewer-connected toilet bowl or hopper; V

' Figure 2 is a side elevation with a part of the nearfl'ange broken away to disclose the bed and garment lying thereon;

Figure 3 is a cross-section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2 but with the clamping bar I2 shown in locked position and for clearness omitting the garment M; v v

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail in section on the line 44 of Figure 1;

prises a flat bed or plate I which may be composed of sheet metal, wood, or other suitable material, as desired. When composed of metal,

it is preferably stiffened by rolling longitudinal beads l0 therein and by turning curved flanges 2 atboth sides thereof, which flanges are extended longitudinally at the upper end to form arms or extensions 3 to support the clamp as hereinafter described.

At the lower end of the board, a tubular bracket. I is united to the bed I or may be formed integral therewith, having all or a portion of its length rolled into tubular form. Pins or bars 6 are slidably mounted in the bracket by which they can be adjusted transversely of the board and extended so as to project underthe lower rim B of the toilet bowl A. f A

A similar tubular bracket I5 is united to the bed, spaced from the lower bracket l. The

bracket is carries pins or bars 5 which are ad:

justable longitudinally thereof and are adapted to rest upon the upper surface of the rim B so as to afford a support for the board I and to hold same in a sloping position, as shown in Figure 2, I

when ready for use. p

The arms or extensions 3 may be provided with beads 3a and 3bto strengthen them, and the upper ends of the arms 3 {are turned inwardly, as shown at S, in'which position they afford stops or rests for the clamp [2 when turned in the position shown in Figure 5.

Slots I extend lengthwise of the arms 3, and the upper ends of the slots are provided with downward extensions 8 which form sockets in which the pivots I! of the clamp I2 may rest.

The clamp l2 is'preferably'formed of wood but may be of any suitable material. Pivot pins II are united thereto at opposite ends and extend f outwardly through the slots 1 and may be provided with heads'to prevent displacement thereof. The free edge of the clamp IZ is provided with a V-shaped opening l3 adapted to bear against the upper end of the bed I, 'asishown in Figure 4, and to clamp the garment l4 securely thereon. a

t The slot 1 is preferably in the same general plane with the board I. The pins H are preferably mounted off center or a little above the median line of the clampv l2 and near the rear edge of the movable bar. When so mounted and the clamp is in its locked position, as shown in Figure 4, the upper end of the clamp will be held down by the upper edges of the slots ll. Likewise, the open end of the clamp will contact the upper surface of the garment I 4 upon the board I in such a way that the clamp will be tilted relative to the long axis of the slots 1, and this tilting will cause the lower face of the groove of the clamp to press upwardly against the portion of the garment which contacts the lower face of the board I, as shown in Figure 4 the lower face of the groove being substantially parallel to the plane of the bed, and will secure the garment l4 firmly against dis placement by the action of the brush. a

In theuse of my washer, the pins are ad;

justed to the required position and the lower end of the board and the lower pins may be inserted in the bowl on the long axis" of the bowl. The board may then be turned crosswise of the bowl with the upper pins resting on top of the rim and the lower pins in contact with the bottom of the rim. Along with the flanged board so arranged that water will flow therefrom only into the toilet bowl or other receptacle, I provide a fountain brush I! having a raised handle and connected to a hose or water supply tube whereby water may be applied simultaneously with a downward brushing movement of the brush upon the garment and the offal thereon easily and quickly flushed into the toilet; bowl and thence to the sewer without soiling the hands of the operator.

The water used in cleansing the garment will be carried away in the ordinary way by the toilet bowl and sewer thus quickly and readily doing away with disagreeable odors and carrying off the wash water.

By this apparatus the garment may not only be thoroughly washed, soap being applied in the ordinary way if desired, but it also may be rinsed in a single operation and withoutbeing carried from one tub to another;

This apparatus is especially useful for small apartments and for houses in which no laundry an elongated bed with sidebars thereon, said sidebars having extensions projecting longitudinally beyond the upper end of the bed, said extensions being provided with longitudinal slots extending along the general plane of the bed, of a clamping member comprising a bar rotatably mounted between said extensions of the bed by pivots which are located at the ends of said bar and near one edge thereof, which pivots protrude into said longitudinal slots and are freely movable lengthwise'of the slots, said bar having a longitudinal groove V-shaped in cross-section in its free edge arranged to embrace the upper end room and no facilities exist for storing. or caring for soiled garments.

It is obvious that various modifications in the size and shape of theboard and bowl, and means for securing the board to the bowl and the clamping means, may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I do not limit my claims to the precise form shown in the drawing. For convenience I refer to the portions of the clamp bar adjoining the V-shaped opening as the upper and lowenarms of the v.

I make no separate claim to the fountain brush as such brushes of ,manykinds are well known.

I. claim; y

l. A combined washboard and clamp comprising an elongated bed with upturned side flanges extending longitudinally beyond the upper end of the bed, longitudinal slots formed in the extensions of said flanges, a bar mounted between said extensions upon pivot pins which protrude through said slots and are movable lengthwise therein, said bar having a V-shaped groove opposite said pivot pins arranged to embrace the upper end of the bed when in locked position, and to rotate either upwardly or downwardly when retracted from the bed.

2. The combination with a Washboard having of the bed when in locked position, said free edge being located on the portion of said bar which is .oppositesaid one edge, said bar being arranged claim 1, said pins, slots and V-shaped groove being arranged to cause the bar to tilt when in locked position whereby the side walls of said groove will press firmly against the upper end of .the bed and the lowerside wall of said groove is substantially parallel with the under surface of said bed. I

4. In a garment clamp, the combination with a flatbed forming a stationary member of the clamp, of a movable bar extending transversely of one end of the bed and having a longitudinal V-shaped groove in its front edge arranged to straddle the adjacent edge of the bed and to embrace a garment between said two members when in locked position, parallel extensions united to the sides of the bed carrying longitudinal slots parallel to the plane of the bed, and pivotal means united to the ends of the movable bar arrang d to extend into said slots and slide longitudinally of the slots, said means being mounted in line axially with each other and near the rear edge of the movable bar and nearer to one side face of the V-bar than to the other side face thereof and so arranged that the lower side wall of said groove will be substantially parallel to the under surface of said bed when in locked position.

. CARL J. LUNDQUIST. 

